Jon R. Thomas (January 7, 1946 - December 28, 2017) was

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics Matters Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is a position of the United States government within the Department of State that heads the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs ...

from 1984 to 1986.

Biography

Jon R. Thomas was born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

on January 7, 1946. Thomas spent 1966 through 1969 as a member of the

U.S. Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service Berets of the United States Army, headgear, are a special operations special operations force, force of the United States Ar ...

, earning a

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

, a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, the Cross of Gallantry and

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

. Thomas was educated at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, receiving a B.A. degree in 1970. Upon graduating, he joined the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

and served as a Foreign Service

reserve officer A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve f ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

until 1977. Thomas left government service in 1977, becoming president of Turfaid, an equipment distributorship. He returned to the government in 1980, when he became a senior staff member of the Policy Planning Staff at the State Department. In 1982, he became Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics Matters.

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

subsequently nominated Thomas to be

and Thomas held this office from October 10, 1984, until April 18, 1986. In this capacity, he was the U.S. representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Commission on Narcotic Drugs. Thomas played a large role in the "internationalization" of the United States' narcotics control strategy. Thomas also received a Master of Arts and Sciences from Vanderbilt University in 1995. He served as president and chief executive officer of CIC Systems, an alternative energy company, from 1999 to 2004. He also served as president and chief executive officer of Energy Developments, an international renewal energy corporation, from 2005 to 2011. He was an adjunct professor in international business at the Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business, Belmont University from 1989 to 1999. Thomas died on December 28, 2017.

References

External links

Announcement of the Designation of Jon R. Thomas as United States Representative on the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Feb. 14, 1985
1946 births 2017 deaths United States Assistant Secretaries of State People from Minneapolis Recipients of the Silver Star University of Minnesota alumni Reagan administration personnel Vanderbilt University alumni Belmont University faculty {{US-gov-bio-stub